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Radical Sanity: Commonsense Advice for Uncommon Women
Miss Wurtzel is back, and this time she's armed with advice for the modern woman. She's found the secret of life, and it's within everyone's reach. It's about enjoying your mistakes. It's about being strong. It's about eating dessert. It's about having opinions. It's about adoring feminism. It's about embracing fanaticism. It's also about saying your prayers, not overpacking, and making your boyfriend do the dishes.. Some of her words of
- Think It's not that you have to see it to believe it; on the contrary, you have to believe it to see it.
- Be I myself believe that I am about ten times prettier than I actually am. By dint of sheer will power, I have managed to convince many people of this.
- Enjoy Your Single Do not think that the whole point of being single is being married; men don't think this way, and neither should you.
In Radical Sanity, these lessons, and many more, are delivered with the sharp wit and candor we've come to expect -- and love -- from Elizabeth Wurtzel.
- Think It's not that you have to see it to believe it; on the contrary, you have to believe it to see it.
- Be I myself believe that I am about ten times prettier than I actually am. By dint of sheer will power, I have managed to convince many people of this.
- Enjoy Your Single Do not think that the whole point of being single is being married; men don't think this way, and neither should you.
In Radical Sanity, these lessons, and many more, are delivered with the sharp wit and candor we've come to expect -- and love -- from Elizabeth Wurtzel.
Unbound
First published January 1, 1998
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1356 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Wurtzel
13 books1,441 followersElizabeth Wurtzel was an American writer, journalist, and lawyer best known for her groundbreaking memoir Prozac Nation, published when she was just 27. Her writing, often deeply personal and confessional, explored her lifelong struggles with depression, addiction, relationships, and career setbacks. Her brutally honest approach helped ignite a boom in memoir and personal storytelling in the 1990s, making her a defining voice of Generation X.
Raised on the Upper West Side of New York City in a Jewish family, Wurtzel faced emotional turbulence from a young age. She grew up primarily with her mother, Lynne Winters, after her parents divorced. In adulthood, Wurtzel discovered that her biological father was photographer Bob Adelman, adding another layer of complexity to her self-perception. Battling depression from as early as ten years old, she channeled much of her emotional struggle into her writing. Wurtzel attended Harvard College, where she continued to wrestle with mental health challenges, even as she excelled academically and received accolades like the Rolling Stone College Journalism Award.
After graduating, Wurtzel found work as a pop music critic and became known for her often polarizing writing style. Her debut book, Prozac Nation, was a raw account of her experience with clinical depression and treatment through Prozac. It was praised for its candor but also criticized for its emotional excess. A film adaptation starring Christina Ricci debuted in 2001. Her second book, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women, received mixed reviews but confirmed her reputation for bold, often divisive commentary on culture and gender.
Wurtzel continued to write openly about her life in More, Now, Again, detailing her battles with addiction to cocaine and Ritalin. Critics were harsh, often accusing her of narcissism and self-indulgence, yet Wurtzel’s work resonated with readers drawn to her vulnerability and willingness to lay bare her flaws. Despite controversies, including a plagiarism scandal early in her journalism career, she maintained a steady if often provocative presence in American literary culture.
In the mid-2000s, Wurtzel shifted gears and attended Yale Law School, later working at a prestigious New York law firm, although she never abandoned writing entirely. She often spoke candidly about her unconventional path and the choices that left her professionally successful but personally unsettled.
In her later years, Wurtzel battled breast cancer, facing the illness with characteristic dark humor and openness. She married James Freed Jr. during her treatment, though the two later separated amicably. Even as her health declined, Wurtzel remained a vivid, unapologetic figure in public life. She died in 2020 at the age of 52 from complications related to breast cancer.
Elizabeth Wurtzel left behind a complicated but significant legacy: a writer who gave voice to the internal struggles many were afraid to admit, and who, in doing so, changed the literary landscape for those who followed.
Raised on the Upper West Side of New York City in a Jewish family, Wurtzel faced emotional turbulence from a young age. She grew up primarily with her mother, Lynne Winters, after her parents divorced. In adulthood, Wurtzel discovered that her biological father was photographer Bob Adelman, adding another layer of complexity to her self-perception. Battling depression from as early as ten years old, she channeled much of her emotional struggle into her writing. Wurtzel attended Harvard College, where she continued to wrestle with mental health challenges, even as she excelled academically and received accolades like the Rolling Stone College Journalism Award.
After graduating, Wurtzel found work as a pop music critic and became known for her often polarizing writing style. Her debut book, Prozac Nation, was a raw account of her experience with clinical depression and treatment through Prozac. It was praised for its candor but also criticized for its emotional excess. A film adaptation starring Christina Ricci debuted in 2001. Her second book, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women, received mixed reviews but confirmed her reputation for bold, often divisive commentary on culture and gender.
Wurtzel continued to write openly about her life in More, Now, Again, detailing her battles with addiction to cocaine and Ritalin. Critics were harsh, often accusing her of narcissism and self-indulgence, yet Wurtzel’s work resonated with readers drawn to her vulnerability and willingness to lay bare her flaws. Despite controversies, including a plagiarism scandal early in her journalism career, she maintained a steady if often provocative presence in American literary culture.
In the mid-2000s, Wurtzel shifted gears and attended Yale Law School, later working at a prestigious New York law firm, although she never abandoned writing entirely. She often spoke candidly about her unconventional path and the choices that left her professionally successful but personally unsettled.
In her later years, Wurtzel battled breast cancer, facing the illness with characteristic dark humor and openness. She married James Freed Jr. during her treatment, though the two later separated amicably. Even as her health declined, Wurtzel remained a vivid, unapologetic figure in public life. She died in 2020 at the age of 52 from complications related to breast cancer.
Elizabeth Wurtzel left behind a complicated but significant legacy: a writer who gave voice to the internal struggles many were afraid to admit, and who, in doing so, changed the literary landscape for those who followed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 14, 2020
My original impression of Radical Sanity, which I first read in 1999 and dutifully evaluated in my reading journal, was as follows: "While the idea of Elizabeth Wurtzel writing a self-help book is kind of hilarious, this was a fun read with some good advice." Of course, I didn't know upon my first read that by the time she wrote this, Wurtzel had already been through a harrowing addiction and recovery and had, in fact, learned a few things worth passing on, as she later revealed in much greater detail in her memoir More, Now, Again. This second time around, I understood that she wasn't just kind of making it all up; her advice was based on her actual life experience.
But that's not all that was different on this reread. Some elements of this short book are a little dated, most particularly the way that, for Wurtzel, everything seems to boil down to attracting a man. There are chapters full of good advice on being yourself, believing in your own beauty, cultivating your passions... all good stuff, but she can never resist adding that doing these things will (supposedly) make you irresistible to men. This didn't really bother me; it just amused me and made me marvel at how much things have changed since then.
Then there's the (related) fact that Wurtzel seems to see it as a foregone conclusion that we're all going to get married (to men) and have children at some relatively young age, definitely before our 30s are over. Sure, many women do get married and have kids by then, but now I know Wurtzel herself didn't marry until her late 40s and never had kids. I just kept wondering what she would think of her own advice now if only she were still here to consider it.
All of which is to say, there's no longer any way to read Radical Sanity just for what it is. Elizabeth Wurtzel was a big personality, and for me she looms even larger now that she's gone. But even given all that, this is still a fun read with some good advice. Some of it is hilarious, some of it is provocative, and all of it gives the sense that Wurtzel truly believes in the fabulousness of her reader. Two days after finishing a book that took me one day to read, I'm still basking in its glow.
But that's not all that was different on this reread. Some elements of this short book are a little dated, most particularly the way that, for Wurtzel, everything seems to boil down to attracting a man. There are chapters full of good advice on being yourself, believing in your own beauty, cultivating your passions... all good stuff, but she can never resist adding that doing these things will (supposedly) make you irresistible to men. This didn't really bother me; it just amused me and made me marvel at how much things have changed since then.
Then there's the (related) fact that Wurtzel seems to see it as a foregone conclusion that we're all going to get married (to men) and have children at some relatively young age, definitely before our 30s are over. Sure, many women do get married and have kids by then, but now I know Wurtzel herself didn't marry until her late 40s and never had kids. I just kept wondering what she would think of her own advice now if only she were still here to consider it.
All of which is to say, there's no longer any way to read Radical Sanity just for what it is. Elizabeth Wurtzel was a big personality, and for me she looms even larger now that she's gone. But even given all that, this is still a fun read with some good advice. Some of it is hilarious, some of it is provocative, and all of it gives the sense that Wurtzel truly believes in the fabulousness of her reader. Two days after finishing a book that took me one day to read, I'm still basking in its glow.
May 13, 2008
Now here is someone who loves makeup and high heels but demands men clear the table after dinner. The great female ROAR (or Grrrrrrl) is dying down, if not dead. So far the only chapter I like is the one that reads: Have a cleaning person come in as often as you can afford. Yeah right. Written like a real New Yorker. I need a raise!
Whatever this semi-feminista crap-writing is, I don't like it. If it still requires leg shaving and mascara, leave me out of it.
Whatever this semi-feminista crap-writing is, I don't like it. If it still requires leg shaving and mascara, leave me out of it.
April 28, 2007
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it would be stupid and fluffy like most self-help type books. However, it turned out to be laugh-out-loud-funny, while also serving as a good reminder of the stuff we forget sometimes-that life isn't about finding the perfect man, that your career shouldn't be the only thing you do, and that everyone is just as strange as you are. A VERY fast read and much funnier than it looks.
Read
November 6, 2011Read this one night when I was livin' alone in an apartment with no furniture. I was drinking wine out of the bottle and speeding through and laughing out loud. That's a nice memory. I particularly like: "Be Gorgeous. I myself believe that I am about ten times prettier than I actually am. By dint of sheer will power, I have managed to convince many people of this." Ha ha ha.
October 4, 2013
This book was overpriced and far worse than I expected. Apparently she's transformed from a troubled teenager to an overly self righteous WOMAN!
Woman, RAWR!!!
Woman, RAWR!!!
January 1, 2016
It pains me to give this book one star, as I'm a huge fan of Wurtzel's first three books, but this book was awful. Additionally, having read Prozac Nation and Bitch and More, Now, Again, I kept wondering how on earth Wurtzel decided she should give people generic life advice about being happy and love affairs. Sadly, this mini-book is not worth reading, but don't judge the author on this piece-- read her other three books-- they're wonderful. This was just a bizarre, blog-esque ramble of essays about topics that she has no business writing about. I'm ready to see what Wurtzel can do with fiction/ writing that is not so self-centered.
September 5, 2016
Wurtzel offers fortune cookie level wisdom with all the plausibility of a drunken fisherman describing the size of the one that got away, and you spend much of her book wondering when exactly she took any of her own advice. There are a few useful aphorisms here, but chances are you heard them from your mother first. (Though maybe not the one advising you to screw an ex to help yourself get over whatever guy you're crushing on...) Miles away from Kiss My Tiara's class and sass.
April 29, 2009
I just skimmed this, I couldn't really get into it... not nearly as good as her other books, which I've loved all of so far. It was just sort of like she wanted to publish something, so she just crammed a bunch of her less-good stuff together and called it a day.
March 11, 2016
not my favorite...
April 24, 2020
I had to add a new shelf called 'silly' for this. I have it with the UK title. It's hardly her best work - it's not great - it's quite fun. Don't shell out loads of dosh for it or anything.
March 30, 2012
Should be titled commonsense advice for stupid women.
February 26, 2020
I read Elizabeth Wurtzel's Radical Sanity (also published as The Bitch Rules and The Secret of Life in parallel with Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women. And, I felt as thought Sanity was the outline that inspired the lengthy, literary essays in Bitch. Where the essays in Bitch stretch on for fifty, sixty, seventy pages (all worth it), Sanity are short nuggets usually no more than two or three pages.
This isn't to say Sanity isn't worth the read. I found myself nodding along throughout the book, even though I wasn't the target audience. But, I couldn't help but think of several friends who would benefit from reading the snippets, which are less self-help rules and more self-reminders. This isn't a road map for mental and emotional health; instead, these shorts were meant to remind women, and particularly younger women, that it's important to take up space--for lots of reasons.
And while I suspect some of the advice, at least as it was presented, may not age well, I found myself asking "What advice from the past really does?" Any experience we try to pass down comes from a world that no longer exists (and, in my opinion, exists mainly so that one person can justify the actions they took at some point).
It's never a bad time to carve out a little time--and this book is less than one hundred pages so you can finish it in one sitting--and remind yourself that it's important to be present in making decisions about what you want out of life. Nothing could be more radical than that.
This isn't to say Sanity isn't worth the read. I found myself nodding along throughout the book, even though I wasn't the target audience. But, I couldn't help but think of several friends who would benefit from reading the snippets, which are less self-help rules and more self-reminders. This isn't a road map for mental and emotional health; instead, these shorts were meant to remind women, and particularly younger women, that it's important to take up space--for lots of reasons.
And while I suspect some of the advice, at least as it was presented, may not age well, I found myself asking "What advice from the past really does?" Any experience we try to pass down comes from a world that no longer exists (and, in my opinion, exists mainly so that one person can justify the actions they took at some point).
It's never a bad time to carve out a little time--and this book is less than one hundred pages so you can finish it in one sitting--and remind yourself that it's important to be present in making decisions about what you want out of life. Nothing could be more radical than that.
July 18, 2025
This is very Of Its Time (1999) and not everything aged well but honestly there is some good and not super basic advice for single girls in their 20s. she’s kind of obsessed with men, but I actually appreciate the honesty of that more than the forced hyperindependence that I see a lot now. She basically says be someone who is interested in something, which I feel like is good life advice
February 17, 2022
In bilico tra le 3 e le 4 stelle, in realtà. Libretto carino e molto veloce, contiene alcuni consigli utili e molta ironia, che fa sempre bene.
May 24, 2015
When I was 24, graduating university, breaking up with my long-term boy, and moving back to my hometown, I would have given this book 4 stars for its astuteness. Now that I'm 33 and ACTUALLY an adult (no offense to the 24 year old adults, I just wasn't one of them)I find this book cutesy and silly, and rather annoying in its constant contradictions: e.g. page 94 "The only way to get one person off your mind is to get another one on your body" (which I still think is probably true) vs. page 97 (3 pages later!) chapter title 'Do Nothing'-- "Doing nothing is the opposite of, say, shagging some guy so you can stop thinking about some other guy".... That chapter does have some pearls of wisdom, as do others, but they do get drowned out by the 'Have a Cleaning Person'-type chapters. In the end I enjoy the positive message, and it's still a fun, quick read (I picked the book up twice overall).
February 3, 2016
While I love other works by Wurtzel (Prozac Nation, Bitch), I was disappointed with this book. It is mostly due to the misleading subtitle. This book does not offer advice for the uncommon woman; rather the advice it offers (some of which I agree with, other parts of which my annotations simply read "NO!") is clearly for the everyday woman, the one who wants a common life, or at least a typical life after youth and young adulthood (which I do not see anything wrong with, if that is what makes you happy).
However, this book nearly dismisses uncommon women, with Wurtzel even more than once suggesting that these women probably exist, but she has never met them: those who do not want to settle down, who are content with being single, who seek adventure over comfort, who are not lost without religion. I do not understand who the audience for this book is if not common women.
However, this book nearly dismisses uncommon women, with Wurtzel even more than once suggesting that these women probably exist, but she has never met them: those who do not want to settle down, who are content with being single, who seek adventure over comfort, who are not lost without religion. I do not understand who the audience for this book is if not common women.
December 31, 2015
It pains me to give this book one star, as I'm a huge fan of Wurtzel's first three books, but this book was awful. Additionally, having read Prozac Nation and Bitch and More, Now, Again, I kept wondering how on earth Wurtzel decided she should give people generic life advice about being happy and love affairs. Sadly, this mini-book is not worth reading, but don't judge the author on this piece-- read her other three books-- they're wonderful. This was just a bizarre, blog-esque ramble of essays about topics that she has no business writing about. I'm ready to see what Wurtzel can do with fiction/ writing that is not so self-centered.
September 4, 2011
I'm familiar with Wurtzel's life and bouts with mental illness and drugs after reading PROZAC NATION and MORE, NOW, AGAIN. After that darkness, she sees light. RADICAL SANITY is Wurtzel's advice to women on romance, careers, hobbies, and physical appearance based on her experiences--which means that readers may not connect to everything she has to say. Some sections and chapters were empowering, while others were contradictory by urging women to do things to attract the opposite sex. Still, it's a decent read. I've always found Wurtzel to be an interesting and talented writer.
June 17, 2012
Into the psyche of the woman who wrote Prozac Nation... Read it less for the advice and more for the entertaining prose of this "postfeminist," heteronormative, generalizing, and overall pretty elitist woman. While she may be politically incorrect and dated even after less than 10 years, she's funny, and there is some wisdom through the lens of knowing her "quirks."
January 10, 2015
I read a lot of reviews of this book before I purchased it and I can see where everyone is coming from, both good and bad. However, I grabbed this book in the midst of a hellish week of being stuck in my own head and it was just the thing I needed to snap me out of it. I'm not saying it's the type of book that would suit everyone, but it hit the mark with me in this instance.
August 22, 2007
The title of this book caught my eye immediately due the title and well there really are secrets to life in here! It is like one of few Self Help Psychology books that give a crap about those they are writing for! You can tell this woman has seen it all and been through it all.
March 12, 2008
Cleverly written but genuinely prescribed advice...say what you will about Elizabeth Wurtzel, but she's passionately pro-woman, pro-self, pro-happiness. Buy this book for any woman you love and respect!
March 2, 2011
I am a fan of Prozac Nation and More Now Again but this was just a waste of money. I was able to special order it a couple years ago. I'm not sure if it's even out anymore but I don't recommended going to any trouble to get this book.
August 24, 2012
an entertaining and frank overview of how to live your life. Elizabeth creates a series of sensible rules for women that are easily translatable to men as well. Taking simple things and giving strong advice based on her own experiences and building a cohesive and precise set of rules.
January 15, 2008
First e-book I read - I re-read it - it's fabulous!
January 22, 2008
Light enough reading for the topic at hand.
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January 25, 2008Buy this for me?
February 20, 2008
I liked it.
April 22, 2008
It's an easy read with commonsense advise for uncommon women...that's for sure!
January 20, 2009
a few little nuggets of wisdom here and there, wrapped around a lot of BS stuff. very easy read but also easy to zone out on while reading too...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews